A wireless network generally is divided into multiple cells with each cell having at least one base station. A user equipment (e.g., mobile phone) wishing to send information establishes communication with a base station in the cell.
Operating parameters, in addition to identification parameters, are part of network management. A variety of operating parameters such as antenna orientation (e.g., tilt angle), transmit power limits and pilot power fraction affect network function.
In third generation (3G) standards for wireless networks such as CMDA2000 and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), performance analysis is used to evaluate general behavior of network algorithms. For performance analysis in 3G, such as analysis of handoffs, access performance and application throughput, hexagonal network models of coverage areas are used.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional hexagonal network model. FIG. 1 shows a conventional hexagonal network model 100. As shown, the hexagonal network model 100 includes base stations BS1-BS7, with each of the base stations BS1-BS7 having a coverage area C1-C7. As shown, the coverage areas C1-C7 are cells for the base stations BS1-BS7 and are modeled as hexagons. Hexagonal network models are sufficient for 3G technologies.
Long Term Evolution (LTE) is the name given to a project to improve the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) standard to cope with future requirements. In one aspect, UMTS has been modified to provide for the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) as a fourth generation (4G) wireless network.
An E-UTRAN includes evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs), which provide the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) user plane (PDCP/RLC/MAC/PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocol terminations with a UE. As discussed herein, eNodeB refers to a base station that provides radio access to user equipments (UEs) within a given coverage area. This coverage area is referred to as a footprint of a cell. The eNodeBs are interconnected with each other by an X2 interface. The eNodeBs are also connected to a Mobility Management Entity (MME) via an S1-MME interface (control plane), and to a Serving Gateway (SGW) via an S1-U interface (user/data plane).
In 4G, performance has become more personal and localized with Self-Organizing and Self-Optimizing Networks (SON). Therefore, performance analysis evaluation has a greater sense of accountability and needs to answer specific questions about specific cells. Consequently, general analysis of networks using hexagonal models is insufficient. Furthermore, since performance optimization is part of the network, the analysis and models should provide computational efficiency to allow these computations to be made on network elements.